Legendary American comedian, Jerry Lewis dies at 91

Legendary comic actor and one of Hollywood’s most successful comedians, Jerry Lewis has died aged 91

The King of entertainment who is also a film star passed away peacefully on Sunday of natural causes at 91 at home with family by his side,” a statement from John Katsilometes read.

He died at 9.15am at his home in Las Vegas.

Jerry was one of America’s biggest ever stars, with his career spanning multiple decades over radio, television, music and film.

He was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for his charity work that saw him raise more than $2.5bn for the fight against Muscular Dystrophy.

He won a huge number of awards including Emmys, BAFTAs and a special Oscar award from the Academy for his achievements as both as an actor and a director.

In 1984 he was presented with the French Legion of Honour, in 2009 the Academy gave him the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

Lewis was the son of professional entertainers Daniel and Rachel Levitch in 1926 and was just five years old when he made his professional debut.

He sang Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? at the legendary upstate New York showbiz training ground Broscht Belt and got the performing bug immediately.

He dropped out of high school to perfect his comedy routines, but it wasn’t until many years later in 1946 that he would meet Dean Martin and the pair would achieve international success in films like The Nutty Professor.

His later years were beset with health problems, with him undergoing major surgeries.

Jerry underwent open-heart surgery in 1983, another surgery for prostate cancer in 1992 and a heart attack in 2006.

In the 1960s Jerry became addicted to painkillers after he began taking them to cope with the pain of an injury he sustained to his spine while doing a pratfall on The Andy Williams Show.

His career suffered a setback around this time when audiences in America grew tired of his success and he took an almost decade-long break from screens.

He eventually returned to his former success and returned to movies, Broadway and television.

Jerry was married twice, to Patti Palmer from 1944 until 1980, and then SanDee Pitnick, who he wed in 1983.

From his marriage to Patti, he had sons Gary, Ronald, Scott, Christopher, Anthony, and the late Joseph, who died from an overdose in October 2009. He and SanDee had a daughter, Danielle, who like Ronald, was adopted.

The King of Comed actor was the highest paid actor in Hollywood at one time, and in 1995 his portrayal of Mr. Applegate in the musical Damn Yankies saw him become the highest-paid star in Broadway history.